Preclinical Animal Models and Measures of Pain: Improving Predictive Validity for Analgesic Drug Development - Volume I

About this Research Topic

Background

Preclinical Animal Models and Measures of Pain: Improving Predictive Validity for Analgesic Drug Development - Volume II

Preclinical animal studies are critical for determining mechanisms of disease or pathophysiological states, and for identifying potential druggable targets that can be leveraged into more efficacious therapies in patients. Regarding models of acute and chronic pain, there is a clear need to develop novel animal models with greater translational potential, as previous efforts to use preclinical data to develop novel pain treatments have been disappointing. Classic animal models of pain largely focused on unlearned behavioral responses to noxious stimuli, and usually used reflexive withdrawal measures that were easy to quantify and required little specialized equipment. In the last decade, it has been recognized that functional impairment and learned pain behaviors are critical targets for effective pain treatment in humans and provide opportunities for more translational pain models in animals. Many new procedures have been proposed to model complex behaviors altered by manipulations that mimic human injury or pathology; however, no consensus has emerged on satisfactory behavioral readouts to successfully close the translational gap in analgesic development. In addition, there has been a considerable effort to develop novel manipulations in animal models that are thought to more closely mimic human pathology related to pain.

This Research Topic is interested in manuscripts that describe preclinical research using endpoints other than reflexive, unlearned behaviors. These endpoints could include novel physiological, biochemical, or behavioral endpoints that have the promise of increased translational potential. We encourage studies using models for a diverse array of pain conditions as well as inclusion of validational experiments with pertinent positive and negative pharmacological controls as indication of translational potential. Additionally, we appreciate that many investigators have had difficulty replicating published results with some procedures, and we believe that publication of valid negative data can be extremely helpful in guiding future efforts. Accordingly, studies that report valid negative data will also receive serious consideration.

The authors would like to thank Julia Speck and Leo Martin for their artwork

Keywords: Mechanisms, Pain, Analgesia, Animal, Behaviour

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